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Planning to give chocolates this Valentine’s Day? You’re not alone; over one billion dollars in chocolate is purchased worldwide for February 14. Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of cocoa beans! Chocolates specially packaged for this holiday are everywhere, from convenience stores to the swankiest boutiques; we’re deluged with advertising claiming that chocolates are a surefire way to that special someone’s heart (most of the advertising is directed toward men, who account for 75% of chocolate purchases for Valentine’s Day). Chocolate outsells every other type of sweet delicacy on this one day. But have you ever stopped to wonder why?
People have been proffering confections as valentines for hundreds of years. The early American colonists, it’s said, scratched love notes on hardened maple candy and exchanged them with their sweethearts. By 1780, when the first chocolate company was founded in the US, candy was already strongly associated with Valentine’s Day. At that time, chocolate was primarily a beverage in the fledgling nation and most other places; genuine eating-quality dark chocolate bars didn’t come along until 1849. Milk chocolate was invented in Switzerland in 1879. Richard Cadbury, whose last name should sound familiar when chocolate is discussed, is credited with the invention of the first chocolate box in 1868, and, later, the first Valentine’s Day chocolate box. It would be another 45 or so years until filled chocolate bonbons were created, thanks either to Jean Neuhaus, Jr. (another well-known name in chocolate) or the Swiss-born Jules Sechaud, depending upon which source you believe. With new technologies and an ever-changing world and political situation, chocolate, once the drink of the privileged few, gradually became an edible indulgence for the many.
But why chocolate? If the early American colonists used hardened maple candy as love tokens, why don’t we continue that practice now? Why don’t we give lollipops or licorice to those we’d like to get to know better? To a degree, clever marketing strategies account for this country’s wintertime love affair with chocolate, but there are other reasons so many of us woo with “the food of the gods” (the meaning of Theobroma cacao, chocolate’s scientific name). To begin with, chocolate is now America’s favorite flavor; nothing else even comes close. Chocolate has long had a reputation as an aphrodisiac, thanks in part to popular legends involving it’s consumption by Montezuma, Casanova, and even the Marquis de Sade, all of whom were famed for having many lovers. Chocolate is perceived as being sensuous, a notion furthered by the fortuitous melting point of cocoa butter, the chief fat in chocolate. Cocoa butter melts at just under human body temperature, so chocolate melts on our tongues (or other body parts) as no other food can. For many concerned about their weight, chocolate is a guilty pleasure, something to be enjoyed only once in a while; Valentine’s Day may provide a break from the usual routine of fretting about health and diet. Incidentally, despite the widespread idea that women are the big chocolate-lovers, more American men say that they would rather receive chocolate than flowers on Valentine’s Day, especially those over age 50. And if you believe Americans are the only ones sent into a chocolate-buying frenzy by the approach of Valentine’s Day, think again! Valentine’s Day has become big chocolate business in countries such as Australia and Japan. In the latter nation, February 14th, once a day when Japanese women gave chocolate to men they liked, has become a day when they feel bound to give chocolate to most men they know, especially if they’re employed in an office and have male co-workers. This custom is called giri-choko, or “obligation chocolate.”
There are also chemical reasons for our cocoa-laden desires. Yes, chemical. Chocolate contains over 300 chemicals. For example, PEA, or phenylethylamine, is found in chocolate. This amphetamine relative is said by some scientists to raise blood glucose levels, giving people a sense of wakefulness and general well-being. Others will tell you that PEA is the same chemical released by the brain when people are in love, producing a feeling of mild elation and idealism. Another theory suggests that eating chocolate causes a release in the brain of b-endorphin, an opioid-related substance that may reduce tension and elevate mood. Still others maintain that chemicals in chocolate affiliated with brain lipids called anandamides (“ananda” is the Sanskrit word for “bliss”) may combine with other chocolate components, such as theobromine (akin to caffeine), to produce a temporary sensation of euphoria. Perhaps the hypotheses are less important than the end result; many people, naturally preferring that their dates/lovers be in a happy, low-stress mood on Valentine’s Day, turn to chocolate for help. Available and affordable, it seems to deliver the preferred mental state more readily and consistently than almost any other food (if you think I’m speaking from extensive personal experience here, you’re correct).
From the purist’s ultra-bittersweet, single-bean-origin bar to the hippest chocolate-ruby port sauce to the mass-produced milk chocolate heart, there’s a chocolate delight for just about anyone you fancy. The sheer number of Valentine’s Day chocolate-givers has to make you think they’re onto something good. If flattery is getting you nowhere, maybe it’s time to stir a little chocolate into the mix. It’s no guarantee, of course, but with chocolate around, at least you’ll enjoy the ride!
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www.StarChefs.com
Stephanie Zonis is a freelance food writer and recipe developer. She authors the column "For Chocolate Lovers Only" at StarChefs.com.
For a complete bio, click here.
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